J.W.Lees Pump Clip Design Concept

Brief – Create a pump clip for J.W.Lees first 2018 seasonal bitter. The design should have traditional elements relating specifically to Manchester but also have a modern and dynamic appeal.

In my concept design I have drawn on themes which relate to the Manchester area. The concept of ‘Northern Soul’, for instance, has been widely associated with a type of music genre in and around Manchester for decades. It has a wide currency still and I used the plural form ‘souls’ to refer to Northerners generally. The cotton industry has huge historical associations with Manchester and this influenced my decision to depict the sketch outline of a mill building. Mill buildings are also associated with several species of bat which are peculiar to the Manchester area so I decided to make this a prominent feature of the design. My overall aim was to produce a design which incorporated traditional aspects of the region but which also projected a dynamic image. The idea of a ‘Bitter’ beer is also expressed through my choice of darkish colouring and also through the slightly menacing image.